Melanie Moffis, 53, of West Plains, Mo., sits in her room at the Martha Vance Samaritan Outreach Center on Monday. The homeless shelter may have to close due to a lack of funding.

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A program that's provided shelter for homeless people here for more than 25 years is at risk of closure if an alternative source of funding is not found to replace money that once came from Heart of the Ozarks United Way.

Becky Perez, director of the Martha Vance Samaritan Outreach Center, says the center provides shelter for up to 36 homeless. It's closure would create a ripple felt in the northern tier of Arkansas counties, she said.

"We've taken in several people from Mountain Home and Harrison," Perez said. The center's possible closure underscores the need for other communities, like ...